Posted:
Based on “The Precious Promise;” by Pastor Norm Holm; 9/9/09,
Message #NH102; Daily Devotional #6 -
“I Could Have Had a V8?”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): The story is told of a man from England who booked a trip to come to the United States on an ocean liner in the early 1900’s. He had saved all of his life for this trip, and it was his purpose to live in the U.S. permanently. He brought crackers and bread and ate them alone in his room every day. Often, when he was among the other passengers, he would hear them talk of the lavish buffet they had had the night before. Sadly, he thought of how much he would have enjoyed such a feast.
Several days into the journey, one of the passengers remarked that she had not seen him in the dining room. “Oh,” he said, “I only booked my passage to America. I didn’t pay for my meals.” Imagine how he felt when they told him the meals were included in the price of the ticket! No one had told him that his ticket included meals and every other amenity which the liner had to offer. He hadn’t taken the time to read the details when he bought the ticket. Isn’t it sad that many Christ Followers live their lives this same way? Rather than feasting on the promises of God found in His Word, they struggle to live victoriously based on what others have told them.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): God has promised to give us everything we need for our spiritual growth. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)
His Word is the banquet table for the nourishment we need to live victorious, God-honoring lives. As Christ Followers, we need to recognize two things about this: we have a personal responsibility to study God’s Word, the Bible, and to encourage (disciple) other believers to do the same. The most lavish buffet in the world will not benefit us if we just listen to others talk about how good it was for them.
We must personally partake of the food ourselves. We must read God’s Word and discover His promises …so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:4) Once we find a good place to eat, it is natural for us to tell our friends about it. In the physical world, it’s just another good place to eat. In the spiritual world, it is critical for our spiritual growth to study the Word and encourage others to do so as well.
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): We do not always “feel” our need for spiritual nourishment. Unfortunately, often it is not until we suffer a setback that we realize we should have been more diligent in our Bible reading. We need to develop the discipline of a consistent, daily time in the Word to know and experience the promises of God.
As we do, we must also be diligent to … teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)
Cultivating (Additional Reading): 2 Timothy 3:16-17
